Something that I didn’t know is that you can hire The Magic Circle for corporate functions and conferences. The company whose software we use at work held a conference to demonstrate the new functionality available in the next release. Certainly reason enough to attend as we currently use the oldest version of their program compiler and user interface. Yes, you would think that all information technology companies were on the very cutting edge of their profession. We are so far away from the cutting edge that we are practically Amish.

The fun started before lunch with James “The Man of Steal” Freedman beginning his performance by saying that banks, because of security concerns, have to be sure that you are who you are. He asked members of the audience various questions, name of a school, how much change they have and the name of a bank. This he wrote on a piece of paper. Then I was picked to go up onto the stage and he asked if I smoked. I don’t so he handed me a cigarette lighter. He asked me to light it and touched the note to the flame and it flared up and disappeared. James then took out his wallet. Unzipped a compartment and pulled out a piece of paper which he asked me to read. It was a letter from a bank which mentioned all the items of information that the people in the audience had chosen at random.

James performed a few more tricks before introducing Martyn Rowland who did some more. During lunch both of them mingled around doing card tricks and we were all really amazed. I’d seen the same kinds of tricks on TV before but never live and never that close up.

The first floor of the building had display cabinets containing magic props, Tommy Cooper’s fez and his Martini bottles, and also a few items that belonged to David Nixon, if you’re old enough to remember him. The auditorium was on the second floor and could seat about a hundred people. Each of the seats had the members name on it. The only name that I recognised was behind me and was for Geoffrey Durham.

After lunch we had a quick tour of the museum in the basement. Two of the doors in the corridor were labelled ‘Members Only’. One was an extensive library and the other a prop room.

The Magic Circle really is a great and unique venue for corporate events.

Sir Les PattersonThe online archive of Sir Leslie Colin Patterson. Wit, sage, raconteur, late Cultural Attaché to the Court of St James and Chairperson of the Australian Chapter of the International Cheese Board.